When will the Palestinian people wise up? Can these people make one smart choice in trying to help themselves? Between shooting guns in the air and forgetting that the law of gravity will soon return those projectiles back to earth, and putting terrorists in power makes one wonder if they will ever have an independent state. At least the Bolivians made a good choice.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The European Union could not fund a Hamas-run Palestinian Authority if it did not renounce violence and recognize Israel, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Israel on Sunday.

It was the most explicit threat to cut aid from Europe, the biggest donor to the Palestinians, since Islamic militant group Hamas won a shock victory in parliamentary elections last week. The United States has also threatened to block funding.

Hamas, expected to form the new government, has denounced Western threats to cut aid as blackmail and rejected calls to disarm and end its formal commitment to destroy Israel.

"Such a Palestinian Authority cannot be directly supported by money from the EU," said Merkel, standing beside Israel's interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem at the start of her first visit to the region.

Diplomatic sources said Merkel consulted other European leaders before the two-day trip. Last year the European Union gave the Palestinian Authority 500 million euros ($615 million), money vital for its survival.

U.S. Secretary of State Rice said she believed the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and other powers involved in the Middle East were "on the same page" -- that funding must not go to Hamas and other groups that advocated destroying Israel.

"Stopping international donations will not undermine the work of the government," said Hamas spokesman and elected legislator Mushir al-Masri, adding that the militant group could opt to seek government funding from Arab nations.

OLMERT VOWS TO BOYCOTT HAMAS GOVERNMENT

The foreign support buttressed Olmert's stand on boycotting any Palestinian government including Hamas members unless the group stops fighting and accepts all agreements that Palestinian leaders have signed.

"These principles are acceptable to the international community. I do not intend to make any compromise on this matter," said Olmert.

He also said that Israel was considering whether to delay paying tax money collected on behalf of the Palestinians. Political sources said Israel might withhold a monthly payment that is due to be made this week.

Merkel is the first European Union leader to visit the area since the Palestinian vote swept out President Mahmoud Abbas's long-dominant Fatah movement. She is shunning Hamas, but will meet Abbas in Ramallah on Monday.

Fatah leaders have so far rejected joining any coalition with Hamas, whose anti-corruption platform, charity network and nearly 60 suicide bombings in Israel since a Palestinian uprising began in 2000, propelled it to victory.

Hamas has largely abided by a ceasefire Abbas reached with Israel, and Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted in media reports as saying the Islamic group was "behaving responsibly" and would likely continue to curb attacks.

Israel and the Palestinians have not held peace talks in five years and the U.S.-backed "road map" to a settlement has been stalled by violence on both sides.

In Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a local Hamas leader, Mahmoud Ramahi, ruled out political talks with Israel but not contacts with Israeli officials on public works and health issues affecting daily life.

(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza, Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah, Sue Pleming in London and Corinne Heller and Louis Charbonneau in Jerusalem)

If previously, they rebelled against "The Government" while pretending to advocate the will of the people, they did so without the responsibility associated with running said Government.
Now that they have been elected by the people, they will now have to perform, grow up, and deal with more pressing issues than just focused on the propagation of terror.
Besides, now they have a vested interest in what they build.

I liken it to a teenager who complains about how bad he has it, and how he would "do it better." and then when the teenager gets out into the real world, deals with real issues, real stress, office politics, finance, building relationships, etc..They find out that they realize how good they had it.
As well, how certain issues where taken for granted, like running the country.
Time for Hamas to grow up. (In a productive way)

Well, from what ive heard from some lebs and palistinians at the mosque....

Hamas won because it promised food and jobs as part of it's main platform.

And would hand food out during the rallies.

That said, there were also doing what canada did when voting conservative: THey were tired of coruption.
...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

I've been scratching my head about this one as well, Mike. But I'm with Meta
on this one. The Fatah party screwed up with their corruption, and deserve to
have their butts booted out on the street. Now Hamas has its turn to grow up
and do it right, or risk the same rough treatment by the voters. Democracy can
be a very ugly thing in the short run, but in the long run things like these tend
to work out so long as the meddling hands of terrorism and foreign influence
can refrain. Let the Palestinians live or die by their own actions. Let them pay
for their own damn urban development, education system, social services, job
development, etc., etc.

The only thing I worrry about is those whacko religious fanatics feeding more
hate into the minds of children in the madrasses. We don't need another steady
supply of hopeless youths with hate and stupidity on the brain.

The only thing I worrry about is those whacko religious fanatics feeding morehate into the minds of children in the madrasses. We don't need another steadysupply of hopeless youths with hate and stupidity on the brain.- Bill

Meta:
Yeah, because we have more than enough of those right here at home!

It's religious extremism that is the concern. It's the attude that "My religion is
right and everyone else is an infidel." It's extremist thinking in general for that
matter. To Meta's defense... It's no different than the White Supremacists holding
rallies, and demanding we kick the "n****** and jews" out of this country.

Your point is well taken, Ahmed. We shouldn't generalize. But neither should
we ignore a process that produces homicidal bombers.

It's religious extremism that is the concern. It's the attude that "My religion isright and everyone else is an infidel." It's extremist thinking in general for thatmatter. To Meta's defense... It's no different than the White Supremacists holdingrallies, and demanding we kick the "*********" out of this country.- Bill

Meta: With regard to most American extremist groups,
I can most unequivocally say that I'm on their "First-to-be-horridly-executed-should-they-ever-obtain
-governmental-control-Sh**t-list" for a VAST variety of reasons.

Yagyu Munemori once wrote:
"Surrounding rulers are treacherous people who pretend to be righteous when in the presence of superiors, yet have a glare in their eyes when they look at subordinates. Unless they are bribed, they present the good as bad, so the innocent suffer and the guilty gloat. To see the potential for this happening is even more urgent than to notice a concealed scheme."

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